Mayor’s backers get big rail jobs

Hannemann defends millions doled out so far to his campaign donors

Nearly one in every three companies working on the city's $3.7 billion mass transit system has contributed to Mayor Mufi Hannemann's campaign.

In reviewing a list released by the city this week of subcontractors involved in this project, the Star-Bulletin found at least 19 of the 62 firms have given money to Hannemann's campaign since 2000.

Three contractors were awarded a total of $107 million to work on the beginning phases of the project, including the preliminary engineering, environmental impact statement and public outreach. Those three companies enlisted the help of several dozen companies, some of which were awarded multiple contracts lasting several years.

Hannemann defended the firms, saying they are doing good work and that contributing to his campaign is legal.

"There's nothing that prevents consultants who work with the city who happen to be supporters of mine," he told reporters yesterday. "As long as the contribution is legal, we'll accept the campaign contribution."

Three subcontractors working on public involvement have ties to Hannemann's campaign or administration. They have more than $1.8 million in subcontracts: Elisa Yadao and Laura Pennington, who worked on Hannemann's mayoral campaign, and Gary Omori, married to Clarice Hashimoto, who works in the Mayor's Office.

Meanwhile, the City Council is expected to make a final decision on the technology for the elevated system from Kapolei to Ala Moana. That vote is a mere "formality," said Hannemann, as the city moves forward with steel wheel on steel rail as its technology.

A list of companies and individuals working with the city on the $3.7 billion mass-transit project shows that some are close allies of Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Hannemann has also received donations to his campaign since 2000 from at least 19 of the 62 subcontractors who were hired by three main contractors.

Of the contracts, the city awarded $86 million to PB Americas, an engineering firm, and $11.5 million to InfraConsult, a transportation consulting firm. These firms then hired the subcontractors.

Nearly a third of the subcontractors have at some point contributed to Hannemann's campaign since 2000, campaign records show. Among the highest total contributions include $9,900 from Belt Collins, a design firm doing landscape architecture work for the project, and $8,000 from the National Group, a lobbying group based out of Washington, D.C.

Five companies or individuals -- Dahl Consulting, Gary Omori LLC, former City Councilman John DeSoto, Lychee Productions and Pat Lee & Associates -- working on public involvement are getting paid $1.5 million of an $86 million contract. The mayor's office points out that comes out to a small fraction -- 1.8 percent -- of the total contract.

Elisa Yadao and Laura Pennington, who worked on Hannemann's mayoral campaign, are helping with the public involvement work of the project. Gary Omori, also contracted for public involvement work, is married to former state Rep. Clarice Hashimoto, who now works in the mayor's office.

Several City Council members said they were "alarmed," and criticized the spending on the mass-transit project, particularly the amount budgeted for public involvement.

Councilman Charles Djou had criticized Hannemann for accepting campaign contributions from companies involved with the mass-transit project. Hannemann shot back, saying it was a "double standard" since Djou had solicited funding from these same companies after a recent announcement to run for Congress in 2010.

"Don't criticize others when you're doing it through the back door," Hannemann said yesterday at a news conference. "He's being hypocritical."

Djou said he did not know the subcontractors working with the city until this week. He said he is willing to introduce legislation banning elected city officials from accepting campaign contributions from all companies working with the city if Hannemann would support it.

Hannemann said it is legal to accept contributions from companies working with the city.

"There's nothing that prevents consultants who work with the city who happen to be supporters of mine," Hannemann said. "As long as the contribution is legal, we'll accept the campaign contribution."

Hannemann said he is not involved with the hiring of his supporters. That decision is left up to the city's contractors, though the city administration does give the final approval.

"Just because they're friends of mine and just because they supported me does not mean we should exclude them from being involved," Hannemann said. "The money that people talk about is such a manini (small) part of this $86 million contract."

Yadao, who will receive $504,662 for a four-year contract, stands by her qualifications.

"I think public involvement is a really important part of the project," said Yadao, who is responsible for creating a newsletter, contacting the media and conducting community meetings. "It's a large, significant project that the community should know about."

The city also points out that the Federal Transit Administration requires transportation agencies to actively involve the public when it comes to mass-transit issues.

Contractors and Subcontractors

Here are the nonbid contracts awarded by the city Department of Transportation Services for work on the proposed mass- transit system. Subcontractors -- listed by contractor -- are not selected by the city, but the administration does give final approval. Campaign donors to Mayor Mufi Hannemann are listed in bold.

Contractor

Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. for Alternatives Analysis

$10,210,000

(report and draft environmental impact statement)

Subcontractors

Contract amount*

Community Planning & Engineering Inc.

$374,306

Cultural Surveys Hawaii

$69,596

Donald Durkee

$42,000

Elisa Yadao

$79,662

Gary K. Omori LLC

$181,141

Hawaii Design Associates

$6,800

Hoakea LLC, dba Ku'iwalu

$84,600

KAI Hawai'i Inc.

$3,975

Kaku Associates Inc.

$407,200

Lea+Elliott Inc.

$324,117

Lychee Productions

$201,437

Lyon Associates Inc.

$13,792

Mason Architects Inc.

$50,000

MK Engineers Ltd.

$53,000

Nustats Partners LP

$398,723

Pacific Gateway Center

$2,205

Pat Lee & Associates LLC

$216,631

Steve Nimz & Associates LLC

$14,050

USl-Hawai'i Inc.

$145,345

Weslin Research Inc.

$264,000

Williams & Jensen PC

$200,000

Yukie Ohashi Planning Consultant

$30,000

Consultant

InfraConsult LLC for project management support services

$11,524,513

Subcontractors

Contract amount*

Gannett Fleming Inc.

$714,863

LKG-CMC Inc.

$64,006

Camp Dresser & Mckee Inc.

$69,022

Elisa Yadao

$425,000

Sharon Greene & Associates

$161,923

The National Group LLP

$20,000

Williams and Jensen PPLC

$330,000

Norman Mineta/Hill & Knowlton Inc.

$120,000

MELE Associates Inc.

$132,000

Panel of experts that selected technology:

Steve Barsony

$7,000

Ken Knight

$7,000

Henry Kolesar

$3,756

Panos Prevedouros

$7,000

Ron Tober

$12,800

Consultant

PB Americas Inc.

$86,000,000

(for work on the preliminary engineering and environmental impact statement)

Subcontractors

Contract amount*

AM Partners Inc.

$379,252

Anbe Aruga & Ishizu, Architects, Inc.

$129,999

Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd.

$285,033

ControlPoint Surveying Inc.

$1,853,858

Cultural Surveys Hawai'i Inc.

$93,713

Durrant-Media Five

$385,005

Fehr & Peers Associates Inc.

$1,524,136

Geolabs Inc. (GI)

$1,550,858

Group 70 International Inc.

$327,000

JAD & Associates LLC

$364,051

KGP Design Studio LLC

$253,465

KYA Design Group Inc.

$83,663

Lea+Elliot Inc.

$753,448

LKG-CMC Inc.

$1,107,956

M & E Pacific Inc.

$1,625,292

AccuCopy Consulting Group

$126,000

Carlson Communications, P. Douglas Carlson

$90,000

DahI Consulting LLC

$305,000

Gary K Omori LLC

$251,000

John DeSoto

$150,000

Lychee Productions Inc.

$565,000

Mason Architects Inc.

$213,558

Next Design LLC

$380,857

Pacific Architects Inc.

$124,989

Pat Lee & Associates

$190,000

PB Consult Inc. OR Strategic Consult

$1,366,749

PB Philippines

$78,000

PBR Hawaii & Associates Inc.

$223,049

R.M. Towill Corp.

$4,928,313

SSFM International Inc.

$1,879,064

Steve Nimz and Associates LLC

$31,000

Urban Works Inc.

$608,469

Ushijima Architects Inc.

$124,840

Weslin Consulting Services Inc.

$360,000

Yamasato, Fujiwara Higa & Associates Inc.

$124,840

* Figures are the total amount companies or individuals are expected to receive. Their contract lengths vary.